


The expense of spirit in a waste of shame

by crookedspoon



Series: Feed Me, Also, River God [7]
Category: Bleach
Genre: Community: rarepairfest, Gen, Mostly Gen, No Angst, Spells & Enchantments, Teasing, Treat, Turn Back the Pendulum Arc, Wordcount: 1.000-3.000
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-08-22
Updated: 2013-08-22
Packaged: 2017-12-24 02:24:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,305
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/934079
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/crookedspoon/pseuds/crookedspoon
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>All Byakuya wanted to do was practice Kidou spells. How then did he find himself trapped between Vice-Captain Shiba and that infernal Shihouin woman?</p>
            </blockquote>





	The expense of spirit in a waste of shame

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Neurotoxia](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Neurotoxia/gifts).



> I do apologise if this is a little too OOC. I tried for a younger Byakuya. Hope he doesn't sound too off.

_"Ye lord! Mask of blood and flesh, all creation, flutter of wings, ye who bears the name of Man!"_ Byakuya chanted. The accumulating Spiritual Energy tingled beneath his fingertips even before blue light was visible and thickening.

He advanced fast in his Kidou classes, and was able to release the first forty-five spells without incantation. His grandfather expected no less; it was only right for a Kuchiki heir to be well-versed in the Demon Arts.

It had taken him the better part of forever, but he had mastered seventy spells and was currently practicing number seventy-three: _Souren Soukatsui_ , a high-level flame attack that demanded his full concentration.

_"On the wall of blue flame, inscribe a twin lotus. In the abyss of conflagration—"_

Something flashed off to the side, and pain flared in his left arm. His focus slipped, the incantations broke off and instead of unravelling, the spell blew up. The shockwave ripped at Byakuya's clothes, and smoke billowed around him. He coughed.

His hearing adjusted to the peals of laughter before his vision could supply a woman toppled over and clutching her stomach.

" _You_ ," Byakuya growled. To top off his annoyance, his hair decided this was the right moment to slip free from its ponytail and cascade over his shoulders.

"You shouldn't let yourself be distracted by girls, Byakkun," the woman said with a feral grin, waving his hair string at him. "It's bad conduct. What would Ginrei-taichou say?"

"I'll get you for this," he said, but that infernal woman was gone. He launched into shunpo to run after her, although what he could do to restore his honour once he had caught her was still beyond him. He had no concrete idea other than wanting to knock some respect into her, which would prove impossible given her status as Supreme Commander of the Stealth Force. These people were skilled hand-to-hand combatants. Although that knowledge didn't cow Byakuya. He would try his ~~luck~~ skill.

They zipped through the streets leading to Seireitei, always circling back to the training grounds, as though she had some sort of trap waiting for him there.

At one turn, he nearly crashed into another Shinigami.

"Out of the way, commoner!" he yelled, and skidded past them. Or tried to, as he was lifted by the scruff of his neck the next instant. Byakuya was too perplexed to react to that.

Letting Byakuya dangle in front of his face as if he weighed nothing, the Shinigami shoved their noses together. "Who are you calling a commoner, boy?"

Only then did he attach the glare that filled his vision with Vice-Captain Kaien Shiba. As if that changed anything. "Let me go! I have important business to attend."

"Chasing a woman's tail, eh?" Shiba grinned and dropped Byakuya to his feet, dusting off his hands, as though touching Byakuya had somehow filled him with the need to wash them. Byakuya glared. "Let me give you some advice: she's out of your league."

"What? How did you—"

Before Byakuya could finish, something warm and pliable pressed him against Shiba's _shihakushou_ from behind. A hint of lemongrass and something earthy, more grounded wafted about him like perfume. (Had he spilled tea over his uniform?) Chocolate brown took over the edges of vision. That Shihouin woman's arms encircled Shiba's neck and Byakuya was trapped between their chests. A fact she had to pronounce by rubbing hers against his shoulder blades.

"Why, hello gorgeous. Fine day to be out and about, isn't it?"

"Hello, Kaien," she purred above Byakuya's ear, stirring strands of hair that shot sparks across his scalp. "What brings you here to this forgotten track?"

"If you must know: This runt, actually. So, thanks for leading him into my arms."

Absurdly, Shiba's fingers slid down the length of her bare skin down to her sides and his forearms brushed against Byakuya's deltoid.

"Don't mention it. He's easily guided when he has eyes for nothing but me."

Byakuya felt drained of the ability to move, almost spellbound, as if by a high-level Bakudou, immobilised as he was between two uncomfortably hot bodies that even had the audacity to squish him tighter. Their heads seemed to gravitate toward one another, Shiba leaning down and that woman tilting her head upward. Before they could finally crush Byakuya's skull, however, Shiba's words clicked and Byakuya pushed himself off, effectively disentangling the three of them.

"What business do you have with me?" he demanded.

Shiba looked mildly annoyed and dragged his thumb over the edge of his lip, as though inwardly debating if she should disclose that information. "I'm the one in charge of your Zanjutsu training from now on."

Byakuya's chin jutted upward defiantly and he glared at the older man. "But, I don't want you to train me." He heard a snicker from the sidelines and suppressed a scowl.

"Neither do I want to train you," Shiba spread his hands in front of him and shrugged. "But Captain's orders are Captain's orders, and no amount of arguing is gonna change them any time soon. Might as well get used to it. If you don't like it, go cry to your old man."

"Watch your tongue when you speak of my grandfather."

"I see you two boys are getting along fine without me. I'll leave you to your sparring session. Unless..." In a flash, the demon cat was behind Byakuya again, one hand splayed across his chest, the other running over his throat rightt below his jawline. "You could profit from a little hand-to-hand exercise as well, you know."

This time, Byakuya could not help the scowl. He spun around, hurling a Red Flame Cannon in her direction, but she dodged, as usual. And burst with laughter. Also as usual.

Byakuya fought the indignation rising to his throat. He wouldn't launch at her in front of that man, especially not if he was going to be his new instructor. Oh, but he wanted to deck both of them. Disrespectful bunch. Instead, he balled his fists at his sides.

"He's all yours," she told Shiba and disappeared with a snicker as though she had never been. Not even a blade of grass stirred at her feet. Byakuya remained unimpressed. He could copy that move if he wanted to.

"All right," Shiba said, rubbing the back of his head and looking a tad skeptical. "Your form is good and you're very quick, but you waste too much movement."

Well, that was nothing new. Ukitake-taichou had told him as much, but if his second-in-command could spot Byakuya's deficiency from only one attack, then maybe Byakuya should reconsider the man's worth. Maybe he could learn from him after all.

"Let's get your _bokken_ , shall we?"

"Why don't we fight with real swords?"

"Believe me," Shiba said with a grin. "I'm plenty dangerous with only a wooden stick. And besides, we wouldn't want you to slice off something important if she reappears, would we?"

Byakuya narrowed his eyes at him. "What are you implying?"

"Oh, nothing." He waved a hand in front of his face that looked as if he was trying hard for an unassuming expression. "My advice? Don't let anyone distract you, no matter how annoying you find them."

Byakuya raised an eyebrow, but nodded slowly. Was he talking about himself?

Well, this could prove interesting. Until now, he hadn't seen the man's fighting style, but he was determined to find out his strengths and weaknesses. Unravelling opponents and adjusting his strategy accordingly was part of what he liked best about training sessions. And who better to practice with than a whole new sparring partner? They usually supplied a host of techniques ready to exploit. Truth be told, the man had awakened Byakuya's ambition – and he would be damned if there was nothing he could teach the Shiba in return.


End file.
